Is Aspartam Safe in Breastfeeding
Question
I am a breastfeeding mother and i want to know if it is safe to use Aspartam? Is Aspartam safe for nursing mother and child? Does Aspartam extracts into breast milk? Does Aspartam has any long term or short term side effects on infants? Can Aspartam influence milk supply or can Aspartam decrease milk supply in lactating mothers?
Aspartam lactation summary
- DrLact safety Score for Aspartam is 1 out of 8 which is considered Safe as per our analyses.
- A safety Score of 1 indicates that usage of Aspartam is mostly safe during lactation for breastfed baby.
- Our study of different scientific research also indicates that Aspartam does not cause any serious side effects in breastfeeding mothers.
- Most of scientific studies and research papers declaring usage of Aspartam safe in breastfeeding are based on normal dosage and may not hold true for higher dosage.
- Score calculated using the DrLact safety Version 1.2 model, this score ranges from 0 to 8 and measures overall safety of drug in lactation. Scores are primarily calculated using publicly available case studies, research papers, other scientific journals and publically available data.
Answer by Dr. Ru: About Aspartam usage in lactation
Dipeptide amino acid (Aspartic acid and Phenylalanine) which is used as a sweetener. Only after a high ingestion of Aspartam phenylalanine would slightly increase in mother's milk with no harm effect on the normal child. It should not be cause of concern except in case of phenylketonuria.
Answer by DrLact: About Aspartam usage in lactation
Aspartam is not detectable in breastmilk after maternal ingestion because it is rapidly broken down in the mother's body. An extremely large intake of Aspartam (equivalent to 17 cans of soda or 100 packets of Equal Sweetener) can slightly increase the amount of phenylalanine in breastmilk. Phenylalanine concentrations in milk return to baseline by 12 hours after a large single dose of Aspartam. Although it is prudent to avoid the use of Aspartam in women who are nursing an infant with phenylketonuria, amounts that are typically ingested in Aspartam-sweetened foods and beverages do not result in any additional risk to breastfed infants with phenylketonuria.